LTC.Ibis and LTC. Coil still looks shocked. They looked in the direction where the Portal had opened.
The Elf who was looking at them with hateful eyes still clearly etched in their heads. If that Elf decides to break out of the Portal and kill them, LTC. Ibis and LTC. Coil wasn't sure they could fight with him.
"What about the other?" LTC. Ibis asked.
"The others didn't survive," Steve answered while shaking his head with a sad expression.
LTC. Ibis and LTC. Coil looked at each other. They were both shocked when they found out that the ten specially trained special forces could be wiped out.
"What happened?" LTC. Ibis asked.
Steve still showed a sad and disappointed expression. "We couldn't stand their attack. For some reason, our weapons can not penetrate the Elves' Magic shields."
LTC. Ibis and LTC. Coil listened to Steve's explanation with a stiff face. What had happened?
"Our leader asked me to come back and bring this key because I was closest to the Portal when it opened," Steve added.
LTC. Coil turned to Elis. The woman looked unfocused. It was as if her mind was not present with them at the moment.
"Elis!" LTC. Coil called out in a loud voice.
Elis winced in surprise and looked at LTC. Coil with wide eyes. "W-What is it?"
"What happened?" LTC. Coil asked.
"Uhmm... Uhh... Maybe the information we received was wrong?" Elis made a suggestion. She didn't know for sure either.
LTC. Coils and LTC. Ibis again exchanged anxious glances with each other. Then, LTC. Ibis turned to Steve and asked him.
"What do you see there?"
Steve started to explain everything. He didn't need to make the story sound any worse than it had to be because what happened was really bad.
Steve did not forget to add the story that their leader handed over the crystal key to him and then ordered him to run away while he would buy time.
When in fact Steve did not think long to leave them to die slaughtered by the Elves. Steve also deliberately stole the crystal key from his leader when the situation was chaotic.
After all, no one would live to reveal what he did.
"Damn, looks like we miscalculated," LTC. Ibis said with disappointment.
"Yes, even though we only need a little bit more. Then we will be able to get the water," LTC. Coil added with a comment of his own disappointment.
They decided that tonight's failure would serve as a lesson for their next plan.
"Uhhm, what about the soldiers who died there?" Elis asked with an uneasy feeling.
"What do you mean? They're dead," LTC. Ibis said.
After hearing that, Elis looked shocked. But she reminded herself that she was working on a secret military project.
Elis closed her mouth tightly. They left the hangar and immediately focused on their next business.
~~~
The sun had already started to rise and gave light to the Eternal Garden which was already calm. Although the light is still relatively dim, it is sufficient.
Yes, the sunlight that came was enough to illuminate the strewn corpses and the blood-stained flowers and bushes.
The Elves stared sadly at all of them. They were silent for a few minutes. Especially after they searched around the corpses of the humans and didn't find the crystal key.
Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk finally came out from behind the bush after it was all over.
"What's going on? Are you sad?" Billy asked. "Didn't you guys create this scene?"
Aerchon suddenly rushed towards Billy with his sword. But Erend was suddenly in front of Billy and blocked Aerchon.
"Back up," Erend said in a cold voice.
Aerchon tightens his jaw. But he ended up jamming Arrondite into its sheath.
"You'd better watch your mouths because we're not in a good feeling," Aerchon said with his serious threat.
Erend looked at Billy to signal him to shut up.
"What? What I said was true," Billy defended himself.
"I agree. But let's not make a fuss now," Erend said.
"Drake is right, Brook," Lt. Boartusk agrees with Erend.
Billy sighed. "Alright."
Even so, Billy had no intention of apologizing to the Elves.
An Elf suddenly shouted. He didn't use Magic to convert what he spoke into human language. It made Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk couldn't understand what he was saying.
The Elf pointed at something below him. Aerchon immediately walked over to him.
Aerchon was silent for a while staring at something below him, but before long he said something to the Elf who had called him.
The Elf lowered his head as if reaching for something. As soon as he stood Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk could finally see what they were looking at.
It turned out that there was still a human alive. Erend, Billy, and Lt. Boartusk drew closer to them.
Aerchon took off the helmet covering her. Revealing the face of a woman.
"Anna?" Erend said.
Anna was silent with a tightened jaw.
"You know her?" Aerchon asked.
"No," Erend replied.
Lt. Boartusk and Billy were silent because Erend had already represented their answer.
"Kill her," Aerchon ordered the Elf who was holding her.
"Wait!" Lt. Boartusk prevents.
"What?" Aerchon asked him in a cold tone.
"Maybe she can be of use," Lt. Boartusk said.
"Useful for what?" Aerchon looked unconvinced.
"You haven't found the key yet, have you? Maybe we can use this woman to get it," Lt. Boartusk said.
Anna looked up at the three humans with a look that was hard to decipher. But she just kept quiet.
Aerchon was silent for a moment to think. Then he came to a decision.
"All right. She'll be a prisoner for a while," Aerchon said. "We're going home now!"
After giving the order, Aerchon and all the elves returned.
Anna was tied up with a rope that gave off a faint red glow. It seemed something that was impossible for her to cut with whatever weapon she had left in her body.
~~~